Fractions of cottonseed and peanut extracts suppress the proliferation of human LNCaP and DU145 prostate carcinoma cells

Abstract

Chloroform and methanol extracts of cottonseed and peanut have been shown to suppress the proliferation of human DU145 prostate carcinoma cells. In this study five fractions of chloroform extract of cottonseed meal were obtained by sequential solvent fractionation and silica gel column chromatography. Net proliferation of cultured human LNCaP prostate carcinoma cells following a 72-h incubation with the acetone-eluted fraction from the silica gel column, as measured by CellTiter 96® Aqueous One Solution, was 100% (0 ppm), 79% (1.6 ppm), 64% (8.0 ppm) and −11% (40.0 ppm). Both the acetone fraction and a hexane fraction induced concentration-dependent suppression of DU145 cell proliferation with concomitant cellular morphological changes suggestive of apoptosis. Fractions of chloroform extract of peanut flour obtained by silica gel column chromatography were also found to suppress the proliferation of LNCaP and DU145 cells. Potential tumor-suppressive activity of the fractions of methanol extracts, which were found by HPLC-DAD to contain phenolics including quercetin derivatives, p-coumaric acid, kaempferol, a ferulic acid derivative and t-cinnamic acid, remains to be examined. These results suggest that cottonseed and peanut contain tumor-suppressive components that warrant further investigation. TFFC, TWU REP & HNRF.